Thieves Steal 30,000 Bottles of Wine Worth $5.8 Million in Tuscany Heist

Thieves stole approximately 30,000 bottles of wine valued at an estimated $5.8 million from Marchesi Antinori’s winery in Tuscany, marking what the producer described as Italy’s largest wine theft on record. The incident occurred on Saturday night at the winery near Cortona, in the province of Arezzo, involving a group of at least seven thieves. The stolen wines included notable labels such as Solaia, Tignanello, and Guado al Tasso. The theft was discovered on Monday, but the company chose to announce it publicly on Friday to avoid hindering the investigation. Chief Executive Renzo Cotarella reported that the thieves disabled the winery’s alarm system and surveillance cameras before entering with two large trucks. They used forklifts to load the wine and fled the scene. Cotarella characterized the gang as well-prepared and suggested they may be linked to other recent thefts at Italian wineries. The stolen bottles were all from the 2023 vintage, typically retailing between 150 euros and 500 euros each, including around 10,000 bottles of Solaia from an exceptional year. The winery, established in 1385 and operated by the Antinori family for 26 generations, is warning customers globally to be cautious of offers outside official sales channels. Authorities are investigating the theft, with police and Carabinieri examining surveillance footage and other evidence. Cotarella expressed confidence that investigators could trace the shipment, noting the difficulty of moving two truckloads of wine without attracting attention. This theft surpasses previous notable wine robberies in Italy, including a 2017 incident where thieves stole about 2,000 bottles valued at 750,000 euros from a warehouse near Cervia.